The present invention relates generally to a device for developing or improving skills of players involved in projectile propelling sports or activities and, more particularly, to a device for use when practicing an activity or game, such as ice hockey, field hockey, street hockey, lacrosse, or polo, where propelling projectiles at a goal or target is an objective.
A player has to practice in order to maintain or improve his skills in sporting activities. One sports skill that is often practiced is shooting projectiles at a goal or target with a stick or mallet. For example, players typically line up at a certain distance (e.g., the blue line in ice hockey) from the goal and propel projectiles (e.g., pucks or balls) at the goal. Additionally, in some games, drills can be performed where a player tries to score one-on-one against a goalie. Traditionally, however, once a player has released the projectile at the goal or target, the player has to retrieve the projectile or obtain another projectile before shooting again.
Hockey devices have been developed to propel a puck along the playing surface in order to enhance hockey practices. Such devices are traditionally filled with pucks and placed at a stationary position on the playing surface. The pucks may be propelled from these hockey devices when the player or another person turns a handle or crank, or the pucks may be propelled by an electro-mechanical device. However, when using these devices, if the player desires to receive the puck at another position on the playing surface, the player is usually required to move or re-position the device. Thus, conventional devices may not permit a player to shoot from a desired location on the playing surface, and then quickly move to another desired location, dispense another projectile, and shoot again. Further, these devices are not readily portable from practice to practice by an individual player.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device and method allowing a player to quickly dispense projectiles at various desired locations on the playing surface. It would also be beneficial if such a device is light weight and can be fastened to the stick or club so the player could dispense the projectiles rapidly and without removing his or her hands from the stick or club.